Free Republic

With two more changes announced yesterday, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concludes a turnover of upper management that began with the sudden resignation of President and Chief Executive Officer James Glicker in January. Philip D. English, chairman of the board of directors, who played a major role in hiring Glicker and the BSO's next music director, Marin Alsop, will not stand for re-election in June after a single, three-year term. (His predecessor, Buddy Zamoiski, served 15 years as chairman). Vice president and general manager Karen Swanson, who is responsible for day-to-day operations of the orchestra, has resigned effective June 30. "I...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2006 – U.S. servicemembers deployed worldwide will get a special Valentine's Day serenade from the largest medical musical group in the United States. Members of the VA-National Medical Chorale and Symphony Orchestra Feb. 6 as it performs a bevy of classical, popular and patriot music before a Pentagon audience for broadcast to overseas troops on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, over the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Radio and Television Service. Photo by Doug Moss   The nonprofit VA-National Medical Chorale and Symphony Orchestra today performed a bevy of classical, popular and patriot music before a Pentagon audience...

VATICAN CITY, OCT 21, 2005 (VIS) - Following a concert given in his honor, which was held yesterday evening in the Vatican, Benedict XVI thanked the conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and members of the choir of Ratisbone Cathedral and of the Athestis Chorus. The Holy Father said he felt proud that for thirty years the choir of Ratisbone Cathedral "was led with passion by my brother Georg," adding that "now, under Roland Buchner, it is still in excellent hands." With reference to the music he had heard and to its composers - from Palestrina to Richard Wagner, from...

I can't tell you how many times I've had the following conversation: "So you're a musician? What do you do?" "I play viola in the Minnesota Orchestra." "Really! ... Is that a full-time job? What else do you do?" What else? I shouldn't be surprised by cultural ignorance in a society that idealizes sports heroes, rocks stars and reality TV. But even though the Minnesota Orchestra is in the public eye nearly 200 times a year, who we are and what we do remains a mystery to most people. To that end I offer, as a public service, everything you...

If music is the universal language, then the message emanating from a Steinway concert grand piano at a concert today in Baghdad, Iraq, was one of friendship and support. The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert today at the Baghdad Convention Center since its new grand piano arrived last month. Steinway & Sons offered to donate the piano after the orchestra performed here with the Washington National Symphony Orchestra. Steinway responded to a National Endowment for the Arts plea for companies to donate instruments to the Iraqi orchestra, which floundered under Saddam Hussein. Once the donation was made,...

<p>WASHINGTON--What does it take to get some service around here?</p> <p>Several weeks ago, I was asked by this newspaper to write an advance article on the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra's visit to Washington. Their concert, which took place this Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center, included Maestro Leonard Slatkin, the (American) National Symphony Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. President and Mrs. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld were in attendance.</p>

Tue Dec 9, 8:53 PM ET U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) speaks before a performance at the Kennedy Center, December 9, 2003. The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and U.S. National Symphony Orchestra, joined by guest cellist Yo-Yo Ma (news - web sites), performed a concert Tuesday evening as part of a cultural exchange program to help rebuild Iraq (news - web sites)'s cultural institutions. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Several musicians play traditional Kurdish instruments, including the double-reed balaban (third from right in the front row) under the direction of conductor Mohammed Amin Ezzat at the Kennedy Center on December 9, 2003. The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra and U.S. National Symphony Orchestra, joined by guest cellist Yo-Yo Ma, performed a joint concert Tuesday evening as part of a cultural exchange program to help rebuild Iraq's cultural institutions. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON - The Iraqi National Symphony performed for President Bush and a large audience Tuesday night, presenting another side of the nation whose image is shaped by daily reports of...

U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Norwood joined the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra in Baghdad, playing the trumpet to relax after stressful workdays as senior military assistant to L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq. Norwood was impressed with the camaraderie of the 63-piece orchestra, an ensemble that once spent eight years "underground" after an Iraqi cultural minister banned them in the 1960s because he despised classical music. "They are like a big family, highly spirited and love their music," Norwood wrote in an e-mail interview from Baghdad. But he was astonished at the condition of the music library....

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra cancelled a tour of American cities scheduled for the end of August after no insurance company was found to insure the concerts. American companies said they couldn't take the risk due to security concerns. The Israel Philharmonic (IPO), the flagship of Israeli classical music, was due to perform with Jewish American singer-pianist Michael Feinstein, Yediot Aharonot reported. A national tour was planned, including performances in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco, to celebrate the recent release of the CD "Michael Feinstein With The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra," (Concord Records) which was recorded in Tel Aviv....